Glen Taylor On Sale, Darko, CBA, Kahn, Adelman
This week we passed along a couple of updates on Glen Taylor's search for a buyer who would eventually succeed him as majority owner of the Timberwolves. Taylor, who said he won't sell the team to anyone who would move it out of Minnesota, spoke in greater detail about his plans and about the team's rebuilding process to Britt Robson of Twin Cities Business. Taylor told Robson he received "seven serious inquiries" about the team, and while most of them were rejected because they wouldn't guarantee the team wouldn't move, Taylor is confident he'll be able to announce the buyer before the Wolves' first game of the 2012/13 season, on November 2nd. It would be about six years before the new partner assumed the majority stake, Taylor said.
Taylor is also the chair of the league's board of governors, and he opened up to Robson about the new CBA and its effect on the Wolves, as well as other matters. Here are a few of his noteworthy comments:
On the decision-making process and how the team moved on from Darko Milicic:
“Most of the moves [GM] David [Kahn] is making are heavily influenced by what [coach] Rick [Adelman] has asked of us. But when it comes to finances, David will tell Rick no. At the end of the year, Rick gives me a report of what he thinks of each player. He tells me it’s the same one he gave David and that David knows he is giving it to me. Then he goes through the list. He says, ‘This is the first one I want gone’—that was Darko. ‘This is the second one I want gone. This is what I think of this player.’"
Regarding the CBA and its effect on the Wolves:
"The new deal really helps us. As bad as we’ve played and as bad as the economy has been, we were still in the middle of about 22 or 23 teams that were losing money. If we were losing $15 million or $18 million, some others were losing $40 million. [The new revenue-sharing fund] will step up over three years. Next year there is a possibility of $10 million—now, if we do well it will be less. But I would say that between $5 million and $12 million will come to us.”
About GM David Kahn:
"The person who convinced me about Kahn was Donnie Walsh, who was David’s mentor in Indiana and a guy I really like and respect. Donnie told me, ‘I’d take a risk on him. He’s very smart. He doesn’t know all the basketball stuff, but he’ll know how to run your team.’"
On coach Rick Adelman:
"We were going to build slowly with a young coach [Kurt Rambis] and young players. It was a good plan, but there was a misstep. Now we have a seasoned coach who has said ‘This is my last job.’ He is going to push faster because he wants to win sooner. But his [style of communication] is one I understand and can relate to."
Jazz Expected To Sign Darnell Jackson
The Jazz are expected to bring Darnell Jackson to training camp, tweets Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune. The 6'9" Kansas product has spent parts of three seasons in the NBA, and last made an appearance with the Kings in 2010/11. He's likely to get a non-guaranteed deal at the minimum salary.
Jackson was taken 52nd overall in the 2008 draft by the Heat and traded to the Cavs on draft night. He signed a three-year deal with Cleveland, but was sent to the D-League four times during his abbreviated stint there before the team waived him in 2010. The Bucks claimed him off waivers, trading him a few months later to the Kings. He played in a career-high 59 games for Sacramento in 2010/11, but saw only 8.2 minutes per contest, averaging 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds. He spent last season with the Ukrainian club BC Donetsk.
Once he gets to camp, he'll probably compete for the last roster spot with Trey Gilder, another 6'9" forward who received an invite from the team. The Jazz have 15 guaranteed contracts on the roster, but one of those belongs to Raja Bell, who is attempting to negotiate a buyout.
Extension Candidate: Al Jefferson
After Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum, Al Jefferson figures to be the most prominent center on next summer's free agent market. He's never made an All-Star team, but he's been a consistent performer over the life of a five-year, $65MM extension that kicked in for 2008/09. He's averaged 19.2 points and 9.8 rebounds with a 21.0 PER over the first four years of the deal that will pay him $15MM in 2012/13, its final season. He's played in 86% of his team's games the last four seasons after playing all 82 the year before the contract took effect, and is just 27 years old. There's no reason to expect he won't command the maximum amount in his next deal. The question is whether that deal is a new contract or another extension.
Typically, it wouldn't be worthwhile for a veteran to extend his contract under the current CBA. Extensions are limited to three seasons, while a player can get a five-year contract if he waits until free agency to re-sign with his team. Even if he jumps to another team as a free agent, he can sign a four-year deal, and more seasons usually means more guaranteed money.
For Jefferson, there are mitigating factors at play, many of which also apply to Bynum, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors wrote. If Jefferson signs a five-year deal next offseason, he'll be 33 years old when it ends. He would be subject to the over-36 rule if he wanted to sign a long-term deal, and it's questionable whether he'd still be playing well enough to merit another lengthy commitment anyway. He would also be signing his next deal in 2018, after the league and the union will have had the chance to opt out of the current CBA in 2017 and negotiate new terms that might be less friendly to veteran players. If Jefferson signed an extension now, he'd be 31 when it ended, still young enough to sign a four-year deal without running afoul of the over-36 rule, which removes the incentives for teams to sign players to long-term contracts. Jefferson could even include a player option for the final season of his extension. That would allow him to become a free agent at age 30 in 2015, when could sign a full five-year deal. He would have more than 10 years of service at that point, making him eligible for 35% of the salary cap, instead of the 30% he could get as a nine-year veteran next summer.
In Jefferson's case, it might be the team that's more skittish to do the deal. As solid as Jefferson has been, the Jazz have a wealth of big men, from Paul Millsap to promising youngsters Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter, both of whom were third overall picks in their respective drafts. The Jazz may not want to commit maximum money to Jefferson when his presence in the lineup would prevent Favors or Kanter from getting the minutes they need to blossom. Millsap's contract is up after this season, too, and his $8.604MM salary this season means the Jazz could give him a significant raise that would still make him cheaper than Jefferson.
Jefferson has indicated a willingness to remain in Utah, so perhaps the Jazz could extract a hometown discount of sorts from him. Jefferson might argue that signing a maximum extension, which would represent less guaranteed money than a new maximum contract next summer, could qualify as a discount, but I don't think the Jazz would bite. If they wanted to keep Jefferson around, I think they'd want to do so long-term, given the team's focus on the future. I'm not so sure that new GM Dennis Lindsey wouldn't want to go in a different direction anyway, extending or re-signing Millsap and letting Jefferson walk next summer unless he agreed to less of an annual salary than his market value would dictate.
Offseason Coaching Deals
Three teams will have new coaches to start the 2012/13 season, as Jacque Vaughn will take over the Magic, Mike Dunlap is the new man for the Bobcats, and Terry Stotts got the Blazers job. A handful of other teams either gave their coaches new deals or picked up their options. Put together, these coaches are the least likely to be replaced at any point this season. It's not without precedent that a new or recently extended coach would quickly lose his job, but it's safe to say they all have a pretty long leash.
The process of hiring a new coach gets a lot of attention, but contracts for existing coaches often slip under the radar. Here are the coaches already in place who got new deals in the offseason.
- July 2: Scott Brooks signs a four-year, $18MM extension with the Thunder — The summer's most contentious coaching negotation wrapped up weeks after Brooks took the team to the NBA Finals. The deal, which resembles the one Rick Carlisle got from the Mavericks in May, puts Brooks amongst the league's highest-paid coaches, more than doubling his $2.1MM salary from 2011/12. The Thunder had been holding out for a shorter deal, and reportedly began having internal discussions about possible replacements for Brooks, including Phil Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy.
- June 4: Randy Wittman signs a two-year deal to remain as coach of the Wizards — GM Ernie Grunfeld, who had just received his own new deal in April, removed the interim tag from Wittman's title. The value of Wittman's deal was not released, but Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports heard that the team was unwilling to make a "significant financial commitment," and locked up Wittman instead of pursuing more prominent coaching candidates. Wittman had been an assistant to Flip Saunders, but took over the head job when Saunders was fired following a 2-15 start.
- May 29th: The Clippers exercise their option on Vinny Del Negro — Though the Clippers took a leap forward with the additions of Chris Paul and others last season, Del Negro was rarely credited with any of the team's newfound success, and was dogged by whispers he would be replaced almost right up until the Clippers exercised their option. There was internal discussion about letting him go when the team hit a rough patch last year, but Del Negro, a favorite of owner Donald Sterling, survived. Neil Olshey, who was the GM when Del Negro got the extension, is gone, but Del Negro was part of a three-man team to replace him before Gary Sacks got the job full-time earlier this month.
- May 25th: Mike Woodson signs a three-year extension with the Knicks — The deal gives Woodson about $4MM per season, an includes an option in the third year, according to Stephen A. Smith of ESPNNewYork.com. Presumably, that's a team option, but in either case it was a significant vote of confidence for Woodson, who replaced Mike D'Antoni in March. The specter of Phil Jackson was present until the deal got done, though Woodson had a major ally once the Knicks also decided to bring back GM Glen Grunwald.
- May 18th: The Hawks exercise their option on Larry Drew for 2012/13 — The move dispelled rumors that the Hawks would decline the option, and that Drew would be a candidate for the Blazers' job. The move was one of Rick Sund's last as GM of the team, and it remains to be seen whether new GM Danny Ferry will want to keep his inherited coach beyond this season.
- May 15th: The Bulls confirm they will pick up their option on Tom Thibodeau for 2012/13 — GM Gar Forman and Thibodeau downplayed a report that the coach was unhappy with his contract situation in April, but the two sides have reportedly been discussing a long-term extension off and on since before last season, without resolution. They resumed those talks this month, as other coaches have lobbied for Thibodeau to receive a lucrative extension. He's likely in line for one that resembles the deals that Brooks and Carlisle got.
- May 15th: The Mavericks give Rick Carlisle a four-year extension — One year removed from leading the Mavs to an NBA title, the team locked up its coach long-term, setting the market for Brooks' deal with the Thunder. TNT's David Aldridge, writing on NBA.com, later reported that the deal averages better than $4.5MM a season, and Ric Bucher of ESPN.com reported that the first year of the contract gives Carlisle $4.6MM.
Wizards Sign Shavlik Randolph, Steven Gray
SEPTEMBER 19TH: The deals for Randolph and Gray are now official, per a Wizards press release.
SEPTEMBER 11TH: The Wizards have agreed to sign big man Shavlik Randolph and point guard Steven Gray, reports Michael Lee of The Washington Post. The pair will receive non-guaranteed deals, likely for the minimum, and join Earl Barron, who also reached an agreement with the team today.
The 6'10" Randolph has played in parts of five NBA seasons with the Sixers, Trail Blazers and Heat, averaging 2.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per game for his career, but he hasn't appeared since 2009/10. He played last season in China and Puerto Rico, and hooked on with the Wizards summer league team this year. The 6'5" Gray was also a part of that summer league team, but he's still looking for his first official taste of NBA action after going undrafted out of Gonzaga and spending last year with BK Ventspils of Latvia.
Randolph, Gray and Barron stand a decent shot at making the regular season roster if the Wizards decide to carry 15 players, Lee says, since the team only has 13 fully guaranteed contracts, with point guard Shelvin Mack's minimum-salary deal partially guaranteed for $300K.
Brandon Roy On Comeback, Wolves, Health
Brandon Roy told Vince Cellini and Dennis Scott of NBA TV that during the 2010/11 season with the Blazers, "people around me got down on me," as Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge transcribes (Sulia link). That was a bittersweet year for Roy, who played in just 47 regular season games, coming off the bench for all but 23 of them as he recovered from arthroscopic surgeries on both knees. It was as a reserve that Roy seemed to announce his return to health as he led the Blazers to a fourth-quarter rally against the eventual champion Mavericks in Game 4 of their first round playoff matchup, but he hasn't played an NBA game since that series. Roy will be back soon, this time with the Wolves, and Golliver provides a longer transcription of the interview that touches on why he chose Minnesota and how his game has changed. Here are the highlights:
On his decision to come back, and why he picked the Wolves:
"It really is a crazy story. For me, I'm just happy to be back with the Wolves. For the last six or seven months after the whole amnesty and me sitting out, I had a conversation with my agent. I said, in my heart, I don't feel like I'm done playing basketball and I want to make a comeback. I told him with this coming back, I don't want to say that sitting on my couch. I want to get in the gym and start working and preparing for really coming back and giving it an honest effort. He called me and said there's a doctor down in Los Angeles doing the Regenecon procedure that a lot of NBA players and baseball guys are having. he said it would be great to go down there and do it. I flew down there and had the procedures done and ever since then I've just been feeling really good. I started meeting with teams, Minnesota showed a lot of interest and I was just happy to get a deal done and I feel extremely good being here."
Regarding his health and how that affects his on-court abilities:
"Honestly, right now and all summer long, I've been preparing to not have to take a step back with my game. I'll be honest, some of the lift isn't what it used to be. But my explosiveness, my explosiveness to get to the basket, is good. More than anything, I think I'm a lot smarter of a basketball player. The NBA season is long and my body isn't what it used to be. Right now I feel great. Me and coach [Rick] Adelman are going to sit down before the season and communicate throughout the year about how I'm feeling and what's the best way to get the most out of me. I feel great, right now there's nothing holding me back, I can go out there and play as much as I like."
About Kevin Love's influence:
"I'm really excited. He was the first guy to text me when I was meeting with Minnesota. The first thing I asked [Timberwolves president] David Kahn was, 'How does Love feel that I fit in?' He was just real excited to have me. He texted to say he would love to have me on the team and he was looking forward to training camp and improving. That made me feel great. Kevin Love had an incredible season last year and to cap it off with the Olympic team and all those great players. I just want to come in next year and help them make the next step, which is to get to the playoffs. Just so he can get that experience because I think he deserves it."
Odds & Ends: Bucks, Wolves, McGee, Cook, Mavs
Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel checks in with several Bucks who are working out prior to the opening of training camp. Joining the workout are a few hopefuls who are auditioning for a formal invitation to camp, and that group includes Alando Tucker, the 29th overall pick in the 2007 draft, and Orien Greene, a four-year NBA vet who last played with the Nets in 2010/11. It's been a busy night as teams make their final moves before training camp, and we've got several more tidbits here:
- Chase Budinger might be new to Minnesota, but he's no stranger to the Wolves coaching staff, having played under coach Rick Adelman and some of his assistants while they were together with the Rockets, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune writes.
- In the same piece, Zgoda adds Anthony Tolliver to the list of players whose agents remain in contact with Wolves GM David Kahn. Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 reported earlier that Kahn was talking to the representatives of Hassan Whiteside and Sean Williams.
- Hakeem Olajuwon has worked with several NBA players, but none have spent more time under his tutelage than JaVale McGee, who re-signed with the Nuggets this summer on a four-year, $44MM deal, as Chris Broussard of ESPN.com writes (Insider only).
- Brian Cook, who re-signed with the Wizards today, was initially apprehensive about getting sent to Washington from the playoff-bound Clippers in a deadline deal last season, but was quickly sold on the move when he realized his new teammates wanted to win, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post notes.
- Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside looks at Josh Akognon's circuitous journey to Mavericks training camp. The 5'11" point guard is set to join the Mavs, likely on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal.
- Mark Montieth of Pacers.com examines the basketball roots of Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard, an Indiana native who played under former Pacers coach Larry Brown in college.
- Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel gives his take on the alliance of Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard, who are supporting the same local political issue in Orlando months after their acrimonious departures from the Magic.
- The company that owns the Staples Center, home of the Lakers and Clippers, is up for sale, as Walter Hamilton of the Los Angeles Times writes.
Grant Hill On Clippers, Suns, Free Agency
As players many years his junior fight for minimum-salary contracts, Grant Hill can look forward to his 40th birthday on October 5th having signed with the Clippers for the $1.957MM biannual exception two months ago. He still isn't the oldest player in the league, since Kurt Thomas, who edges him out for the distinction by one day, will be back with the Knicks this season, but Hill is nonetheless a testament to endurance and the wizardry of the Suns training staff. He won't have the luxury of that medical knowledge this year, but he'll have a much better shot at tracking down his first NBA championship. He spoke with Dan Bickley and Mike Jurecki on KGME-AM radio about a number of topics related to his offseason change of address, and we've got the highlights of the conversation here, as transcribed by Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic:
On how the Clippers came into the picture:
“It’s interesting. I had dinner with Chauncey (Billups) when I was in town in Vegas covering the Olympic team and we didn’t even talk about the Clippers. It didn’t even come up. We hung out and talked about other things. And then I met with (coach) Vinny (Del Negro) really almost as a favor, just because I had known him, played against him and he had worked for the Suns my first year. I just really liked what he was saying. They really weren’t the team that I was looking at.”
On the difference between this year and his previous experiences as a free agent:
“The previous times that I went through the whole free agent period, there was still a feeling that we could be good or there was that sort of sentiment that we’d try to keep that core together, if you will, and go for it. Now, I guess that team and sort of era has run its course.”
On leaving the Suns:
“Obviously these last two years were very difficult. Because at this point, with any point, particularly at this point I know in my career, you want to be able to feel like you have a chance. We went out and competed and gave our all and had some good, hard fights and had some wins maybe the last two years that we weren’t supposed to have. But I think if you’re being objective, if we did our best, we would’ve been an eighth seed. So that’s tough. That’s a bitter pill to swallow, particularly after coming off the high we had back two years ago. It would’ve been nice to keep that core together. I understand why that didn’t happen.”
Southwest Notes: Cunningham, Mayo, Lin, Spurs
Most training camps don't start until October 1st, though a few begin September 29th. Still, many players are getting a jump on the league calendar by organizing workouts with their teammates. We've got news on a few who changed teams this summer and are getting in some extra work for Southwest Division clubs:
- Jared Cunningham, the 24th pick in the draft this June, didn't suit up for the Mavericks in summer league because of a right hamstring injury, and is anxious to get going as he works out with several of his new teammates, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. In a crowded backcourt, Cunningham will compete for playing time at both guard spots, Sefko says.
- Many with the Mavericks, including owner Mark Cuban, have high hopes for O.J. Mayo this year, as Sefko notes in a separate piece. “I think he can be a star and I think O.J. knows that this is his make-or-break, who-am-I-really-going-to-be-in-this-league year," Cuban said."And Coach [Rick Carlisle] is going to give him that opportunity. We’ll see what happens.”
- The Associated Press (via The New York Times) checks in with Jeremy Lin as he settles into Houston for workouts with the Rockets. It's the second straight year Lin has been in Rockets camp, but circumstances are much different this time around.
- John Hollinger of ESPN.com is rolling out his projections and scouting reports for each player in the league, releasing two teams each day. Today, it's the Spurs and the Celtics (Insider only).
Cavs To Waive Jeremy Pargo?
Earlier today the Grizzlies waived D.J. Kennedy, and it appears the man for whom he was traded this summer may meet the same fate with the Cavs, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio says he suspects Cleveland will waive Jeremy Pargo (Twitter link).
Pargo's contract is believed to be guaranteed for $1MM this season, the second of a two-year, $2MM deal he signed with the Grizzlies last season. Getting rid of him would leave the team thin at point guard behind Kyrie Irving, with Donald Sloan as the only other point guard on the roster, unless coach Byron Scott wants to experiment with 6'2" shooting guard Daniel Gibson at the position.
The Cavs offered combo guard Terrel Harris a contract before he re-signed with the Heat, and yesterday Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors identified Cleveland as a possible landing spot for free agent point guard Jonny Flynn, the sixth overall pick in 2009. As odd as it would be to see both guys in a two-player offseason trade get waived before training camp, the Cavs would still come away from the swap with a 2014 second-round draft pick and cash.